Gregory J. Jourdain

Gregory J. Jourdain, age 59 of Clare, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 20, 2023, surrounded by his family. On June 22, 1963, Greg was born the son of John and Janice (McClintic) Jourdain in Alma, MI. He was united in marriage to Lisa Gepford on May 21, 2010 in Hawaii. Greg lived his entire life in the Clare area, and he was a graduate of Clare High School Class of 1981. Although Greg’s true work career developed at an early age alongside his father John on the Jourdain family’s farm, Greg’s post-graduate work career began at Dow Chemical in the early 80’s where he began as a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. However, over the course of his 35-year career with Dow, he worked his way up the ladder into a managerial technical advisor role, and never officially retired from the company. In typical Greg fashion, he added more to his workload in 2012 when he bought the Loomis General Store in an online auction because it “sounded fun”. He and Lisa still actively own and operate what they renamed the Pere Market—which everyone in Central Michigan now knows for Greg’s infamous pizzas. As hard as Greg worked, he played equally as hard. He loved boating, riding his Harley Davidson, and he had a voracious appetite for travel. He loved the outdoors whether it was time on the farm, time in the field hunting deer or birds, or time bonding with his multitude of pups. However, we would be remiss to stop the list of things that Greg collected at just dogs; his affinity for buying beater cars and random auction junk will remain a true part of his legacy. Greg is survived by his wife Lisa Jourdain of Clare and his children Jessica (Coty Sowle) Jourdain of Traverse City, Katelin (Mitchell Cote) Jourdain of Plymouth, Elyse (Dustin) Thren of Rosebush, Alana Keene of Clare, and Cole (Kaylee Williams) Keene of Rosebush. Greg was “Papa Pizza” to his three grandkids Owen, Finn, and Austyn, son to Janice Jourdain of Clare, brother to Christine (William) Barker of Howell, uncle to Jordan Barker of Howell, and son-in-law to Susanna Gepford of Mt. Pleasant. He was preceded in death by his father John E. Jourdain. A funeral service in honor of Greg will take place on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Clare United Methodist Church at 11:00 A.M. with Pastor Jeremiah Ketchum officiating. Burial will follow in the Calvary Cemetery of Mt. Pleasant. Visitation will take place at the Clare Chapel of the Stephenson-Wyman Funeral Home on Friday the 24th from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. and again from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Memorial contributions in honor of Greg may be directed to the Third Coast Lab Rescue or to the Isabella County 4-H. For those unable to attend services, online condolences may be shared at www.stephenson-wyman.com

Gregory J. Jourdain

June 22, 1963 - March 20, 2023